Track-sanding apparatus for electric or similar cars.



Patented Dec. 9. I902. .1. s. LANG.

TRACK SANDING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC DB SIMILAR CARS. I

(Application filed A r) :3, 1902.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. LANG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED H. KIMBALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRACK-SANDING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC OR SIMILAR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,486, dated December 9, 1902. Application filed April 3, 1902. Serial No. 101,161. (No model.)

To all wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. LANG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Track-Sanding Apparatuses' for Electric or Similar Cars, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

IO forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to a track-sanding apparatus adapted for use upon'electric and similar cars and to be actuated by the motorman at will, comprising a box for holding the sand, a sand-feeding device of peculiar character for feeding the sand from the box and one that does not require that the sand he first graded or dried, and a means for ac- 2o tuating the feeding device under the control of the motorman and actuated by friction from a wheel or other moving part of the car.

I will now describe the invention in conjunction with the drawings forming a part of 2 5 this specification, wherein Figure l is a view, principally in vertical longitudinal section, of enough of a car to illustrate my invention and its application thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail view, principally 0 in vertical section, enlarged to show the sand-feeding device. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are views of details of mechanism to which reference will hereinafter be made. Figs. 7 and S are views in plan of sand-feeding fingers 5 and the head with which they are integral, one designed to'feed the sand when turned in one direction only and the other when turned in either direction, the first being applicable to a sand-box used only when the 0 car travels in one direction and the second to a sand-box which is arrangedto feed sand whichever way the car may travel.

Referring to the drawings, A represents in a conventional way a part of the framework 0f a car, and B one of its wheels.

0 is a box or hopper for holding sand, preferably contained in the car under a seat. It has inclined sides and rests upon the floor of the car, which is cut away below it to form an opening 0. In said opening is a metal plate 0, either attached to the floor of the car or to the box, as may be desired. It is preferably a casting having at its center a downward-extending enlargement or boss 0 in which is a passage 0 connected with the interior of the sandbox and dividing into the branches 0 0 the ends of which are shaped to receive the conducting-pipes c 0 respectively, which lead to the tracks in front of the wheels or between them. This boss or enlargement 0 supports a bearing d for a bracket D, which is free to turn thereon and which carries or supports a part of the driving mechanism for actuating the sand-feeding devices, hereinafter described. The bear- 6 5 ing (1 comprises a sleeve cl, which screws into a threaded hole 61 of the boss and into the lower end of which there is screwed a bearing-block (1 having a shoulder (1 upon which the bracket D rests. A shaft e extends through a hole 6 in the block 01 through the sleeve 61, and through a hole 6 in the boss 0 and thence upward through the passage 0 This shaft is suitably supportedby the boss and carries at its lower end a crown spur- 7 5 wheel E and at its upper end the head E, upon the under side of which the sand-feeding fingers e e are cast. This head has a hole e, which is square and which receives the squared end 'of the shaft. The head is free to lift on the shaft to permit the movement to the passage 0 of pebbles, stones, or pieces of material too large to otherwise enter it. The fingers extend outward beyond the edge of the head and are convex upon their outer surface and concave upon their inner surface, and they are moved upon the upper surface of the casting c, which forms the bottom of the sand-box.

It will be understood that the crown-wheel E is adapted to be turned, as hereinafter described, and that this rotates the shaft eand causes the sand-feeding fingers to be turned to scoop or feed the sand from the floor of the box intothe opening of the passage 0 5 through which it drops by gravity through the conducting-pipes to the rails. It is not necessary to use both pipes, as one will answer.

To rotate the head and sand-feeding fingers, too I employ a connection between the gear-wheel E and a moving part of the car, preferably a wheel B, and which comprises a shaftfimounted upon and supported by the bracket D, and a tubular horizontal extension f, attached to the boss f of the bracket, (see Fig. 3,) and through which the shaft extends and in the outer end of which it has a bearing. This shaft has at its outer end a spur-gear F and at its inner end a worm-wheel f which engages with the crown-wheel E. The tubular arm f also has at its outer end an arm f which is shaped to provide a support f fora spiral gear f, which turns upon a stud f supported by the arm. This spiral gear is shown in section in Fig. 4c and in plan in Fig. 5, and it meshes with the spur-gear F. Its outer surface f is adapted to be pressed against the inner face f of the wheel B and sufiiciently to make a driving frictional contact therewith, the wheel causing the spiral gear to turn, thus driving the spur-gear F, the shaft f, the worm-wheel f the crownwheel E, the shaft e, the head E, and sandfeeding fingers e e in the sand-box.

In order that a frictional contact may be had at will between the driving-gear f and the wheel 13, the bracket D, which serves to support them, is provided with a turning movement upon the sleeve or bearing upon which it is mounted, and this turning movementis in the control of the motorman. It is obtained by providing the sleeve with one or more arms d, which extend horizontally from the sleeve and each of which is connected by a wire connection (1 with a bell-crank lever (Z at an end of the car, which is adapted to be operated by a spring-supported footpusher d arranged to project above the floor of the car in operative relation to the motormans foot. To get sand, the motorman depresses the pusher, which causes the rock-1ever to turn the bracket D sufficiently to cause the driving friction-gearf to be brought into contact with the side of the wheel and to be held in contact therewith, and so long as it is so held the sand-feeding fingers will be caused to operate to feed sand.

Of course any obstruction too large to pass the fingers and head and tending to cause a clogging of the feeding devices will not act to break any part thereof, because the friction driving-gear cannot be held against the wheel with suflicient force to at any time cause a breakage of any of the parts actuated by the gear. The removal of the foot permits the parts to assume their normal position.

The bracket D is provided with two arms cl when it is desired to connect it with both ends of the car in order that it may be operated from either end at will. The car may carry two apparatuses, one at each end or (and this I prefer) one about the center of its length, provided with the feeding-fingers of Fig. 8, adapted to feed sand in whichever way it is turned and havinga distributing pipe orpipes which feed sand to the rail or rails between the wheels. When this construction is employed, it will of course be necessary that the bracket D have the two arms above referred to, one of which is connected with an operative pusher at one end of thecar and the other with an operative pusher at the other end.

It Will be understood that the head E and feeding-fingers are held in place upon their drivingshaft to some extent by the sand which rests upon them, and while the head is free to lift to permit the passage of what otherwise might be an obstacle to the feed it is by the weight upon it immediately returned to normal working position. This means of preventing the clogging of the sand in the fingers and at the outlet enables a coarser and wetter sand to be practically used than has heretofore been employed.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-- 1. A track-sanding apparatus comprising a sand-box, a passage extending therefrom to one or more conducting-pipes by which sand is fed to the rail or rails, a head covering said passage, one or more rotary feeding-fingers in the box extending beyond the head, and means for turning said fingers actuated by a moving part of the car-running mechanism.

2. A track-sanding apparatus comprising a sand-box, a passage extending therefrom to one or more conducting-pipes by which sand is fed to the rail or rails, a head covering said passage, one or more rotary feeding-fingers in the box extending beyond the head, means for turning said fingers, frictionally connected with a moving part of the car-running mechanism to be actuated thereby.

3. A track-sanding apparatus comprising a sand-box, a passage extending therefrom to one or more conducting-pipes by which sand is fed to the rail or rails, a head covering said passage, one or more rotary feeding-fingers in the box extending beyond the head, and

, means for turning said fingers frictionally connected with the car-running mechanism and also movable with respect to the same whereby it may be connected and disconnected and the feed of the sand regulated thereby.

4. A track-sanding apparatus comprising a sand-box, a passage extending therefrom to one or more conducting-pipes by which sand is fed to the rail or rails, a head covering said passage, one or more rotary feeding-fingers in the box extending beyond the head, and means for turning said fingers and which means is movable at will from the end of the car into contact with a moving part of the carrunning mechanism.

5. A track-sanding apparatus comprising'a sand-box, a passage extending therefrom to one or more conducting-pipes by which sand is fed to the rail or rails, a head covering said passage, one or more rotary feeding-fingers in the box extending beyond the head, the said head and fingers being adapted to be moved or forced upward to permit the feeding of larger elements to the passage than would otherwise pass.

6. The combination in a track-sandingapparatus of the shaft for turning the head E, the said head covering the outward passage to the sand-box, one or more feeding-fingers carried thereby, extending therefrom and curved as specified, the said head being free to be moved upward upon the shaft without becoming disengaged therefrom.

7. In a track-sanding apparatus, the combination of the sand-box, the outlet thereto, and two sets of rotary feeding-fingers over the outlet reversely arranged and each of which is operative to feed sand in one direction only and according as they may be turned.

8. The combination in a track-sanding apparatus of the sand-box, its outlet, a rotary feeder for feedingsand to the outlet, a depending feeder-operating shaft, a gear at its lower end, a swinging arm carrying a shaft having at one end frictional means for turning it and at the other end connected with said gear, and means for moving said arm.

9. In a track-sanding apparatus, the combination of a sand-box, a casting forming the bottom thereof, having an outlet-passage and supporting a bearing for a bracket, an operating-shaft and a driving-gear on said shaft, sand-feeding fingers and a head to the passage mounted upon said shaft in the sandbox, abracket mounted upon said bearing to turn thereon and supporting a horizontal arm, a shaft mounted upon said arm, connected at its, inner end by a gear with the said firstnained gear, and at its outer end having a gear adapted to be frictionally driven by contact with a moving part of the car-running mechanism,and means extending from said bracket or arm to each end of the car whereby it may be turned in the same direction from each end of the car and whereby the sand apparatus may be used for feeding the sand in whichever direction the car may run.

10. The combination in a track-sanding apparatus of the feeding-fingers in the sand-box, their operating-shaft e, the crown-gear E, the bracket D, its horizontal arm f, the drivingshaft f carried thereby, a pinion F at its outer end, a worm-wheel at its inner end to engage the crown-gear and arm at its outer end, a frictionally-driven spiral gear mounted thereon, meshing with the pinion F, and means for moving the arm to bring the frictional gear into contact with a moving part of the car-running mechanism.

JAMES S. LANG. Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN. 

